The Official Website of the State of Arkansas
The Official Website of the State of Arkansas
Verification of identification or age is a major part of doing business today.
Arkansas Mobile ID offers businesses a secure and convenient way to validate customer age and identity. Available on Apple and Android devices, this digital driver’s license/ID provides a reliable alternative to physical cards, streamlining verification processes, and improving customer privacy and experience.
The state certificate verifies that the ID was issued by the issuing authority, the Arkansas Office of Driver Services
The verification process authenticates the driver's license/ID data for you.
Scanning a QR code or using the NFC "tap" means you don't have to handle a user's physical device or physical ID card.
You only need to ask for the data required for your business transaction. (For example: age and photo for an alcohol purchase.)
Uses encrypted data so there is no need to check physical security features of the driver's license/ID.
A mobile ID platform may use QR code technology for verification. For Arkansas Mobile ID, check the technology used by each platform as this may assist you in determining a verification system. You may want to ensure your verifier can accommodate both technologies.
As Arkansas Mobile ID adoption continues to grow, there’s a lot to consider to make sure your business is ready to accept digital IDs. Review the information below to see if accepting Arkansas Mobile ID is right for you and what you need to do to prepare.
Choose whether partnering with a verification vendor or building a verification system will work best for your business needs. The Arkansas Office of Driver Services does not require or endorse a specific verification method or vendor. Businesses should review their business needs to research the verification option that would work best for them.
The verification systems you choose must be ISO 18013-5 compliant and have Arkansas’s public key.
A verify app allows you to use a smartphone or tablet to scan the mobile ID user’s QR code to verify their age/identity and be assured that they are presenting a state-signed mobile ID. There are multiple verify apps available in the Apple and Google Play stores, so you can choose the one that works best for your organization.
An API or SDK can be integrated into an existing point-of-sale system or other verification system. Your online systems can be configured to accept Arkansas Mobile ID to log into secure websites.
If you’ve been used to verifying an ID by scanning the 2D barcode or visually inspecting the physical card, please note these methods will not work with Arkansas Mobile ID.
The business below has notified the Arkansas Office of Driver Services that they have verification tools available that accept QR code.
TIP: With most verification tools, you should be able to customize the information you want to request from your customer for the transaction. A best practice is to only ask for the information you need for your transaction.
The Mobile ID system will verify it is the individual – and only that person – because our system will read embedded security details in the individual’s physical license or ID. We’ll ensure the individual’s personal information matches our records and use facial recognition technology to make sure their selfie matches the picture in our records.
You can sign up to be listed on the Arkansas Office of Driver Services website as a business that accepts Arkansas Mobile ID.
The adoption of mobile ID is on the rise. A recommended international standard (ISO 18013-5) for mobile IDs was developed in an effort to provide a seamless experience between states or countries. Arkansas has followed that standard. For users from other states to use their mobile ID in Arkansas, their mobile ID would need to follow that same standard and you would need to have that user’s state certificate information built into your verification system.
As you may not know if the customer’s mobile ID uses the same standard, you can quickly scan their mobile ID to see if it works. If it does not work, you can revert back to your current ID verification process.
The Arkansas Office of Driver Services uses the recommended international standard for mobile IDs (ISO 18013-5*) to securely place the ID onto the phone. A verification system would also need to follow this standard to be able to scan and read an Arkansas Mobile ID.
Reading a mobile ID uses a combination of private and public keys. The Office of Driver Services has a private key and uses it to electronically sign mID data for a mobile ID user and ensures it is provisioned to the proper device of the proper user. Everything from the user’s name to the portrait image to age is signed and can be verified by any capable mobile ID reader/verification system.
An ID-verifier must obtain the corresponding signed public key* (also called state certificates) in order to verify the signature on any data obtained from a mobile ID.
It is recommended that an ID-verifier only request the data needed for the business transaction. To check an ID, the mobile ID user initiates the exchange of information by displaying their mobile ID QR code to be scanned by the ID-verifier’s reader. Upon scanning, the two devices securely connect via a Bluetooth connection. The mID will then display a screen prompt where the mID user can consent to release the requested data. The two devices then exchange the signed driver license data via this connection. Once the data is obtained, the reader verifies the signature on the individual data elements using the public key. This ensures the data is genuine and unchanged.
When reviewing the information obtained from the mobile ID that is displayed on their reader, including the verified portrait, the ID-verifier should confirm that the mID user in front of them is the person in that verified portrait.
*ISO standards can be found by visiting the ISO website and searching for “18013-5.”
There are a lot of benefits for both using and accepting Arkansas Mobile ID. Arkansas’s Mobile ID is optional for citizens to use, and businesses are not required to accept it.
The Arkansas Office of Driver Services will still provide both physical and mobile ID/driver’s license options for the foreseeable future. The goal is not to replace physical driver’s licenses and IDs, but to encourage adoption of this emerging technology.
The Arkansas Office of Driver Services will still provide both physical and mobile ID/driver’s license options for the foreseeable future. The goal is not to replace physical driver’s licenses and IDs, but to encourage adoption of this emerging technology.
Arkansas Mobile ID is not a replacement of the physical card; users must continue to carry their physical driver’s license/ID card.
This technology is new, so the Arkansas Office of Driver Services will continually work with entities that frequently use driver’s licenses/ID cards to familiarize them with Arkansas Mobile ID and its uses. Over time, we expect mobile ID acceptance to grow.
©2025 Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. All rights reserved.
